Historic

Apr 20, 2019

Simplified Color Processing Forms

By Friedemann Wachsmuth in Darkroom, DIY, Historic, How-Tos, Infos

In 1978, so more than 40 years ago, the photochemistry legend Patrick D. Dignan published a highly interesting script with the title
“How to Compound … Simplified Color Processing Formulas.“

Unfortunately, this script is extremely hard to find, and the Dignan family has no further copies either.
Darkroom mate Adrian C. from England was so nice and scanned his copy, Filmkorn now makes it available as a searchable PDF download!

The document is very interesting. While it does not list the exact formulas of the original processes, they would be very difficult to recreate. Rather, it offers a variety of simplified and tried-and-tested alternative processes with often startlingly good (or even indistinguishable) results.

The collection includes recipes for alternatives to the C-41, C-22, E-6, E-4, E3, Agfachrome and some paper processes (including a developer for Cibachrome!).

Great reading, and a printout shouldn’t be missing in any ambitious lab. You can learn a lot here.

Apr 13, 2019

DigIt: The archive of everyday analogue life

By Friedemann Wachsmuth in Historic, Reports, Who, What, Where

Digit is a WDR project in which new photos and films from everyday life of the past are added to a database every day.

Digit is designed to prevent these images and memories from being forgotten. Instead, we want to use Digit to save analog material into our digital age. Digit stands for digital, but at the same time is a prompt. Because “Dig it” is also English! So like treasure diggers, you’re supposed to sift and sort. You can make your material available to the general public via an upload at Digit or make it available to us for digitization.

A complete list of all the narrow films already digitized by Digit can be found here on Vimeo. It’s fun to let yourself drift there!

Feb 16, 2019

SIlent Movie Concert in a church with analogue 35mm film projection

By Friedemann Wachsmuth in Historic, Reports

No, it was not a loveless DVD or Blu-ray played from the laptop (preferably with a projected disc menu and several trial-and-error attempts in front of a gathered audience, as you often experience today):

Jan 28, 2019

Short documentary “Films from Wolfen”

By Friedemann Wachsmuth in Film Technology, Historic, Reports, Uncategorized

German MDR’s “Mediathek” presents a beautiful, ten-minute short documentary about Orwo yesterday and today. There are glimpses into yesterday, today, dark rooms and a perforator in action can be seen as well.

Worth seeing – even though in German only…

Jan 24, 2019

Memories of Eumig and Wiener Neudorf

By Friedemann Wachsmuth in Film Tip, Historic, Quaint, Recent, Reports

Wanted: Small format films from 1950 to 1980

100 years of Eumig – 1919, the company was founded, and with up to 7,000 employees in the 1970s was the largest company in Austria. In particular, film cameras and film projectors were manufactured by eumig. In 1981, the abrupt end came because the market for narrow film equipment collapsed worldwide. The famous brand, which would have turned 100 this year, is to be commemorated in May with a large film installation titled eumigFlimmern. That is why the municipality of Wiener Neudorf is calling on fellow citizens to make private small format films available for the project. About life in town and country, about family gatherings or excursions and especially about everything to do with Eumig.

Jan 9, 2019

Double Super: DS8

By Friedemann Wachsmuth in Film Technology, Historic, Reports

I wrote the following article in August 2015 and then never published it for some reason.
Nevertheless, it has not become less interesting, because it shows that Wittner would still be able to produce DS8 film – provided, of course, that they can find unperforated 35 mm film.

Jan 5, 2019

Of compulsive nature: Pentaflex 8 – (Part 1)

By Simon Wyss in Film Technology, Historic, Repairs, Reports, Review

The examined camera has the serial number 35933; With Pentovar, No. 6355608. On the back of the selenium cell I find as confirmation “ELECTROCELL Dec”. Stamped in 1963. The production year can therefore be derived from the serial number. On the inside of the case, the number 1675 is engraved. Series 1, serial number 675.
The cell originates from the “Electrocell-Gesellschaft Falkenthal & Presser”, founded in 1933 Berlin-Dahlem, the moving-coil instrument perhaps from Erlangen.

Jan 2, 2019

Deciphering Edge Marks

By Friedemann Wachsmuth in Historic, How-Tos, Knowledge

If you want to know when (and where) a film was produced, you can usually do so via so-called edge markings (or “edge codes”). However, the information on deciphering the small symbols and characters is somewhat scattered, hence here the attempt of a compilation:

Dec 26, 2018

Braun/Nizo Haus-Postillen (3/3)

By Friedemann Wachsmuth in Film Makers, Historic, Infos, Knowledge

Die Firma Braun Nizo brachte mindestens ab 1969 eine Hauspostille heraus, die unter wechselnden Namen in der Regel dreimal jährlich erschien und kostenlos an registrierte Nizo Filmer versendet wurde. Später lagen diese Heftchen wohl auch bei Fotohändlern aus, wo sie dann mit “Schutzgebühr 2,- DM” noch etwas aufgewertet wurden.

Redakteur war Dieter Müller, der auch etliche Bücher über die Nizo herausgab.

Die Heftchen sind eine bunte Mischung aus Einsteigerwissen, Filmideen, Tricks, Kniffen, Leserbriefen und natürlich Verkaufsförderung.

Hier gibt es die Hefte der Jahre 1976-1981 nun jahrgangsweise als voll durchsuchbare PDF Dateien zum herunterladen.

Filmkorn wünscht bestes Lesevergnügen!

Dec 25, 2018

Braun/Nizo Haus-Postillen (2/3)

By Friedemann Wachsmuth in Film Makers, Historic, Practically, Knowledge

Die Firma Braun Nizo brachte mindestens ab 1969 eine Hauspostille heraus, die unter wechselnden Namen in der Regel dreimal jährlich erschien und kostenlos an registrierte Nizo Filmer versendet wurde. Später lagen diese Heftchen wohl auch bei Fotohändlern aus, wo sie dann mit “Schutzgebühr 2,- DM” noch etwas aufgewertet wurden.

Redakteur war Dieter Müller, der auch etliche Bücher über die Nizo herausgab.

Die Heftchen sind eine bunte Mischung aus Einsteigerwissen, Filmideen, Tricks, Kniffen, Leserbriefen und natürlich Verkaufsförderung.

Hier gibt es die Hefte der Jahre 1972-1975 nun jahrgangsweise als voll durchsuchbare PDF Dateien zum herunterladen.

Filmkorn wünscht bestes Lesevergnügen!

Category Historic

Wanted: Small format films from 1950 to 1980